How to Grow Cashews



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Days to germination: 4 to 6 days
Days to harvest: 3 years
Light requirements: Full sun
Water requirements: Regular watering
Soil: Sandy soil, even generally poor soil
Container: Not suitable due to the size of the plant

Introduction

Cashews are a tropical plant, so you will only be able to grow them in countries like their native Brazil. Various regions such as central Africa, Southeast Asia and some parts of Australia are all well-suited for cashews. Southern Florida may be able to grow cashews depending on the immediate climate. It’s a perennial (a tree, actually) so you can’t have winter temperatures that drop below 50F (10C).

Other than the necessary tropical climate, cashews are actually very easy plants to grow. Growing cashew trees will not only provide you with the “nuts”, but also the unusual sweet fruit that grows along with them. Called the cashew apple, the fruit is edible, though quite astringent to the taste. It makes excellent fruit juice.

Cashew apples are extremely high in vitamin C, even more so than oranges. Actually, there can be 5 times as much C in a cashew apple than an orange. Cashew nuts are quite high in calories, but also provide a good dose of copper, magnesium and phosphorus.

Starting from Seed

Cashew trees can be started by seed, or you can purchase seedlings. Some fruit tree nurseries may also have grafted saplings (cashew branches grafted to another tree’s root stock) which will usually start to produce fruit sooner.

To plant a cashew, you need the entire seed not just the nut kernel. They will germinate and sprout fairly quickly, so most people just plant them out where they want their tree. No need for transplanting from a pot.

Plant your seeds in early spring, at a depth of around 3 inches. If you are planting for more than one tree, keep them about 30 feet apart. Choose a sunny location with sandy or well-drained soil. The trees will grow up to 40 feet fall, so make sure you plant there where they will have room to grow. Cashew seeds germinate well, so you shouldn’t need to plant more than one seed in each location. If you prefer, plant 2 or 3 and then thin down to 1 should they all sprout.

Growing Instructions

Sandy soils are usually poor when it comes to nutrients, but cashews will do fine without too much additional fertilizer. You can give them a feeding once or twice a year with a standard fertilizer mixture if you wish. Water your trees whenever there is a dry spell, but you shouldn’t need to water them frequently otherwise.

Even once the tree is well-established, keep the area around it free of weeds.

Pests and Diseases

There aren’t really any devastating pests specific for the cashew tree, though you can always have trouble with all sorts of general leaf-eating insects. Twig borers and leaf miners are two that can cause you problems.

The twig borers will eat into the smaller branches of the tree, eventually causing them to drop off. Leaf miners are very small insects that will bore through the leaves, creating fine little tunnels through them. Neither will really threaten a mature plant unless in very large numbers. Younger trees can have a harder time of it, so you might need to spray them with an insecticide designed for fruit trees.

Besides insects, cashews can be infected by Anthracnose fungus. It likes a lot of moisture, and is likely to strike when you’ve had a very wet season as the new leaves and fruits are developing. Infected areas start to grow watery lesions, and they eventually turn rusty brown as they grow. It can be treated with fungicide, after you have removed as much of the infected material as you can.

Once the fruits start to grow, larger pests can become a problem. All kinds of rodents as well as bats love cashew fruit. Try to pick them as soon as they are ripe, and you may need to put a fence around the tree to keep out the larger animals.

Harvest and Storage

Cashews won’t start to produce fruit until they are around 3 years old, though some grafted trees can start fruiting after only a year.

Your cashew trees will bloom during the winter, and you should have your fruit and nuts a few months later. Cashew fruits look a little bit like pears, with the nut growing at the end like a big knob.

The fruits will start off yellow, and eventually turn a deeper red. That’s when they are ripe. The nut portion should be gray. Try to get them picked before they fall to the ground. They bruise very easily and are more likely to be attacked by pests when on the ground.

Since each fruit only produces a single cashew nut, you may not want to process or shell them just a few at a time. Break the cashew pod off the end of the fruit, and you can store it like this for up to 2 years in a cool place. That way you can save up your harvest until you have enough to warrant the work involved in shelling. And they are a bit of work. You can eat or juice the fruit right away. Enjoy the fruit because there is almost no opportunity to purchase cashew apples commercially. This may be your only chance to eat one.

Inside the nut portion of the cashes is the nut meat, but also an acidic resin that will burn your hands. This makes cashew shelling a very tricky business. The easiest method is to freeze the nuts solid, and then crack open the shell. The acid will be solid and you should be able to remove the nut kernel with little mess. Even so, you must wear heavy rubber gloves and long sleeves when you shell your nuts.

Other methods include roasting the nuts over an open fire until the shells crack and the resin drips out. The fumes from this method are just as bad as the liquid itself, so don’t try it indoors.

If the processing seems too complicated, you can enjoy your cashew trees just for the sweet fruit. Many home gardeners do.

35 Responses to “How to Grow Cashews”

  1. Bill  Says:

    Can anyone give me contact info for getting grafted cashew trees????

    — Bill, in Southern Florida

  2. Jessie  Says:

    Hi Bill
    Hope you found your Cashew tree by now, if not I will think you have a better chance by searching palm beach county
    To Miami dade county, my cashew tree which I planted 5 years ago from a seed is on the third year of flowering and fruits if you have the patience they grow rather quickly.
    Also if you are interested I have many seeds in storage
    Will be glad to send you some.

  3. clarence  Says:

    i got some seeds off e-bay they have been planted for ten days now no sign of sprouting, they are in sandy loam mix.not sure whats up with them.

  4. Administrator  Says:

    It could be the seeds are not valid. Your seller may not have been reputable.

  5. Tim  Says:

    I’m looking for either some cashew seeds or seedlings. Do you know of anybody in central Florida who might have some?

  6. clarence  Says:

    well i finally got one to sprout, it took three weeks, i live in western n.c. i will bring it inside for the winter,hoping some more of them will sprout, that way i’ll plant them in the ground and keep them covered for the winter to see how cold hardy they are.i was just happy to finally get one to start.

  7. clarence  Says:

    here its novemeber,12,2011, cashew trees are a little under the weather,i moved the only two that made its out of the twenty i planted inside a few weeks ago, one properbly too much water,so its all but dead.the other one i’ve i cut back on only watering when soil is all but dry down to four inches, it seem to be doing only.trial and error.

  8. Carlos  Says:

    Jessie, you wrote you have some seeds.
    I would like to get some if possible pachito9@juno.com

  9. Elyse  Says:

    I was interested in learning how to grow cashews.
    Please advise if someone has seeds availble.

  10. Monica Mangones  Says:

    I have two cashew trees that bloom, give fruits, but no nut. Does anyone know why?

  11. Ann  Says:

    Hi Jessie, can you grow Cashew trees in Southern California, can the temp drop below 50 F but not freezing? Is it possible to obtain some seeds from you? My email is annsop@gmail.com Thank you and have a nice day. 🙂

  12. Ed Tavares  Says:

    Hi dear
    You did plant a cashew tree 5 yrs ago with good lucky.I would like to graft my small tree,can you let me get one sion from your tree to preform a good grafting? if yes let me know the price.
    Thank you for your support
    Ed

  13. Carla  Says:

    Hi Jessie… Trying to grow cashews in west central Florida
    …any suggestions?….. Do the seeds need to be fermented first?

  14. isaac  Says:

    Hi Dear,
    i am about to engaged in cashew planting at district level.
    i need advice

  15. tuts kennedy  Says:

    im looking to start my own plant if you have any seeds for sale please contact me at 909 589 4414. ASAP

  16. tuts kennedy  Says:

    my mistake my actual number is 909 522 9543

  17. immacula jean-paul  Says:

    i need to buy a cashew tree in miami, florida

    can you tell me and address where i can find one?

    thank you

  18. Jackson  Says:

    I want to grow a cashew tree in Northern California, Wine County. Is that possible? I’m an ameteur gardener who wants to sample the cashew fruit and have an exotic tree.

  19. Lynn  Says:

    I am on the Gulf Coast of Florida & I would love to be able to leave some lovely and useful cashew trees here on the Earth as part of my legacy, my small contribution to my fellow man. I can buy some seeds if anyone can offer them for sale. lynn_ashworth2000@yahoo.com . Thank you!

  20. suzie puckett  Says:

    I have a cashew tree, it was there when we moved in and a red plum tree. I wish i knew someone who wanted all the fruit this tree puts out i would love to give it to them. Its dropping fruit again, the third time this year… i dont like them.. if your in broward county and u like them, let me know..

  21. pooja  Says:

    Hi Suzie this is Pooja Do you have cashews you mean. If you would like to give it I am willing to pay you shipping. please give me your email. I live in nc. My email is poojatdesai@gmail.com

  22. Philip Antonio  Says:

    Hi Jessie:
    I live in the Bahamas, just a stones throw from South Florida. A few years ago I planted a Cashew seed which sprang up quite well, but when it got to about 3ft. high, it just suddenly died.
    A few weeks ago I again planted a seed, which sprang up very well, but only grew to a 1ft. and died. planted another, and the same thing happened, I want to grow one so badly. Can you help with some suggestions? Many thanks.
    PS. The first seed I got from Jamaica. The others I got out of the USA. and planted in another part of the yard

  23. Philip Antonio  Says:

    Hello Jessie.
    Is there any hope of help concerning the above?

    Philip

  24. winsome bright  Says:

    Hi Suzie Puckett,
    I am in broward county and would love to get some of your cashew fruits I can find you in broward
    thanks

  25. Debbie  Says:

    Jessie/Suzie Pucket, I’m in Central Florida, with family in Broward County. Any chance of getting a few seeds/fruit our way? I’d like to try the fruit, but more importantly would like to try to grow a tree myself.
    thanks!

  26. Has  Says:

    Hi Is it possible to store cashew seeds for about 6 months?
    Thanks

  27. C. Voni Zoubi  Says:

    Hello Jessie Is there any chance, you having seeds to pass along. If not, I would like your input as to where I may be able to obtain some.

    Thank you,
    Voni

    vzoubi@gmail.com

  28. Dale Mills  Says:

    I may get 100 pounds of seed (nut) every year from my trees here in Puerto Cabezas,Nicaragua.I mite be able to help.

  29. Fish Asante  Says:

    I just picked up a bunch of fresh seeds, I will store them, feel free to find me.
    Fish, Cape Coral, FL.

  30. Raj Venkatesh  Says:

    Hello Fish Asante:

    How can I get some seeds from you? Can you help?

    I live in South Bay Area near San Francisco.

  31. Raj Venkatesh  Says:

    Hello Dale Mills:

    How can I get some seeds from you? Can you help?

    I live in South Bay Area near San Francisco.

  32. Toaono  Says:

    I am looking for cashew nuts to start a farm in Samoa. Can you let me know where I can get some cashew nuts for seeding, in the south pacific by Hawaii or Australia.

    Thank You

  33. TAS  Says:

    I live in central America and we have lots of cashew trees here. The reason you have trouble getting your seeds to grow is,,, we always plant them with the fruit attached to the bottom. They always grow and are very quick to sprout up. the fruit is very delicate and disintegrates very quickly.

    fruit makes a lovely drink, I make it a gallon at a time. half water half juice.I add a couple of tiny iodine tablets from the drugstore to be sure there are no pests and 4 or more lemons some cider vinegar and a little honey unless the fruit is exceptionally ripe.

    Do not try to shell the cashews with out first freezing them and wear heavy gloves. They are very acid and will burn your hands

  34. G  Says:

    Hello what ph level do the trees prefer to grow in.

  35. Thamara. Mclaughlin  Says:

    I will love to get some cashews fruit I’m in Broward county. Florida
    Thanks please let me know

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